Indicating device



July 18, 1933. A. G. sTElNMAYER INDICATING DEVICE Filed May' l. 1929/o/VW @UM w mf@ i. M wk CQ Patented July 18, 1933 `l IUNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE ALWIN G. STEINMAYER, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BYMESN'E ASSIGN- MENTS, TO LINE MATERIAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFDELAWARE INDICATING DEVICE Application led May 1, 1929. Serial No.359,440.

j useful improvements -in indicating devices l for fuses and refers moreparticularly to a device for indicating whether 'or' not an eX pulsionfuse is blown.

' The design and mode of operation of eX- pulsion fuses' has made theapplication of reliable indicating means extremely diiiicult and devicesheretofore produced for this type of service have been more or lessimpractical. Another difficulty encountered in the provision of anindicating device for expulsion fuses, is the necessity for a means ofindication which can be readily seen from the ground when the fuse ismounted at the top of a pole,- as it usually is.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improvedindicating device especially adapt-ed foi-,use with expulsion fuses,which in no way complicates the structure of the fuse or its housing,and which may-bc readily discerned from the ground.

Another object of this invention resides in` the provision of anindicating device which is applied directly to the fuse element, wherebyrupture of the fuse eXpels the indicating device, the absence of anindicator at the fuse thus showing that the fuse has blown.

And a further object of this invention resides in the provision of anindicating device which is adapted to be connected with the fuse.element of an expulsion fuse by a wire or the like preferably of somemetal which does not solder readily, so' that in all instances ofrupture the indicating devicewill be eX- pelled from the fuse and therewill be :no tendency of the wire becoming soldered to any remainingportion of the fuse element.

AWith the above and other objects in view whichwill appear asthedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly delined bythe appended claims it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated two complete examples ofthe physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to thebest mode I have so far devised for the practical application of theprinciples thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pole top having a number ofexpulsion fuses mounted thereon provided with my improved indicatingdevice, one of the expulsion fuses being illustrated without anindicator which shows that said fuse has been blown;

Figure 2 is an elevational view with parts broken away and in section ofthe fuse proper illustrating the manner of attaching the indicatingdevice; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a Inodiied form of indicating device.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, in whichlike numerals designate like parts, 5 designates a pole to which a crossarm 6 is fixed and on which a. plurality of expulsion fuses 7 aremounted. rIhe expulsion fuses are of the conventional type and includehousings 8, the backs of which are provided with suitable brackets (notshown) by which the housings are supported from the cross arm 6, theiropen fronts being closed by covers 9 upon which the fuses proper 10 aremounted, and each fuse being connected by lead wires 11 with theparticular circuit it is intended to protect against over-load.

The fuse proper 10 comprises the usual insulating tube 12 havingcontact'members 13 and 14 adjacent its ends which are adapted to beelectrically bridged by a fuse element 15, the lower end of whichprojects through the openbottom of the tube and is directed upwardlyalong the outside of the tube to be connected with the adjacent contactmember 14.' The upper portion of the fuse clement preferably has aportion thereof reduced in cross section, as at 16.

The indicating device consists of a sphere 17 of any suitable materialsuch as glass or wood which is preferably brightly painted or otherwisecolored and is connected with the fuse element 15 by means of a wire18.,

' as aluminum or the like, to

One end of the wire 18 is fixed to the indicator sphere and its otherend is hooked through an aperture formed in the fuse element adjacentits portion of reduced cross section. The wire 18 is preferably formedof metal which does not solder easily, such preclude the possibility ofits becoming soldered to any remaining part of the element upon ruptureof the fuse, and as it'is connected with the element adjacent itsportion of reduced cross section, it will be readily apparent that inevery case of rupture the indicator sphere will be blown clear of thefuse. The absence of an indicator thus shows that the fuse has blown.

If desired, the sphere 17 may be replaced by an indicator such as shownin Figure 3,

` which consists of a tab 19 of brightly colored improved indicatingmeans for expulsion Celluloid or the like.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, it Will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art to which an invention of the character described appertains,that I provide an fuses and the like, which may be easily applied andwhich-affords a reliable indication as to the condition of the fuse.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a fuse structure of the character describedhaving a fuse tube anda fuse element positioned therein, of a normallyvisible indicating member, and means carried by the indicating memberand v passed into the fusetube to be connected with the fuse elementintermediate the ends of said element whereby the indicating member issupported entirely by the fuse element and rupture of the fuse elementcauses said-in dicating member to be blown clear of the fuse structure.

2. The combination with a fuse struct-ure having a fuse tube and a fuseelement positioned therein, said fuse elementhaving a portion of reducedcross section to determine` the location of its initial rupture, ofindicating means normally visible beneath the fuse structure, and asupport for the indicating means extending into the fuse tube andattached to the fuse element adjacent said portion of reduced crosssection whereby rupture of the fuse element taking place initially atsaid portion of reduced cross section positively ruptures the connectionbetween the support for the indicating means and the fuse element andblows the indicating means clear of the fuse structure. I

3. The combination with an expulsion fuse structure of the characterdescribed having a fuse tube and a fuse element within the tube andadapted to be blown from the tube upon rupture of the fuse, of'indicating means adapted to indicate whether or not the fuse has beenruptured and including an indicating member, and attaching means exatube and a insee-lement therein to be eX-.

pelledtherefrom upon rupture of the fuse, of indicating means connectedwith the fuse element by a wire of metal not easily soldered toprecludel the possibility of the indicating means being supported by aremaining portion of the fuse element after rupture thereof.

ALWIN G. STEINMAYER.

